


White Poppies

by Silvalina



Series: It's a raccoon, innit? [11]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrids, Raccooninnit, Theyre all hybrids yall, Withering Sickness, Yall I like to make shit more dangerous for the a n g s t
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:34:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29030250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvalina/pseuds/Silvalina
Summary: Tommy ran away as fast as he could, blood covered with stolen things into a new future.--------bruhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhttps://discord.gg/qNhBWRwbCbim so tiiiiiired, yallll
Relationships: Ranboo & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: It's a raccoon, innit? [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2097147
Comments: 45
Kudos: 474





	1. Circea

After Dream blew up Tommy’s backup stash, the boy snapped.

It had been a rough time, he let any punishment, anything that the other threw at him, he let that go over him. But when Dream found his secret stash with everything important to him and blew that up while Tommy watched the photographs go up in flames, he snapped.

His face contorted into a growl and the next thing he knew was canines sinking into the flesh of the admins neck, biting through it and leaving a bloody mess.

As he stared down the on the disappearing body, leaving the man to respawn on his last bed, he could not think at all, his thoughts clear and head empty, the simple melody of cat and mellohi intertwining in his head as he stepped over the body, looting it of any materials the other held, putting on his armor and looking down at the netherite blade, Nightmare. 

His eyes only held hatred for that cursed weapon, yet he couldn't destroy it, it was too valuable.

He left the beach in the direction of the tundra, a trident on his back and a sword in his hand, determination and hatred in his eyes.

And a pure sense of numbness coursing through his body, the phantoms of mellohi and cat still echoing in his mind.

  
  
  


The next time he looked up at the sky, it was dark. He had been treading through the snow for the past hours, endless streams of white with only the trees to keep him company, the sun kissing his face goodbye as the moon shone upon his back, bringing with it the merciless creatures of the night. 

But now, he was prepared.

Tommy didn't use any weapons, just his hands, strangling zombies and shredding him with more apparent claws, snapping bones of skeletons and ripping creepers apart, he had never felt more alive than now, bloodlust glazing over his eyes. The enchanted armor glowed in the night, making him the only light around with the moon being the other source around. Although, there was still something shining under the armour, stronger than everything else.

His compass.

The blonde didn't want to look at it, not now, hopefully not ever, it brought only bad memories to the playing field, drenching him in nightmares and horrid thoughts, reminding him of the bittersweet times with his former best friend. Only the former, there was nothing to save there.

Dream had lied to him, he knew it from the start. He wasnt a dumb little kid like everyone around him thought, Tommy could also thinka nd make decisions.

Fuck, he made the decisions in Pogtopia, in L’Manberg, helped Tubbo with Manberg and even more. He was absolutely capable of thinking things through, but when youre youre put in a high pressure confrontation… Then what the hell does a sixteen year old do? Good decisions? What even is a good decision, what made Techno think killing Tubbo was a good decisison, what made Wilbur think bllod, carnage and suicide was a good decision, made their dad think killing him was the only way.

Tommy realized it was nothing, nothing at all.

There was never anything for him, his father and brothers and friends hated him, he knew they did. He knew of the glances shot his way by Niki, how Tubbo seemed strained around him, how Techno and Wilbur had both ignored him back then, too much focusing on their plans. Their plans to destroy everything they had worked for, everything Tommy had sacrificed for this entire thing? It was for nothing!

Tommy just wanted to get away from all of this.

This nation, this server, family and friends… It should’ve never mattered to him. Not with what they had been doing to him.

A soldier when they wanted him to fight, a kid when they wanted to be right.

Well, time to take his own life…

And run.

  
  
  
  
  
  


He had found himself deeper into the tundra, passing a cabin long forgotten. The armour shielded him perfectly from the cold, from the snow, so no frostbite could kill him. Although, he had dried blood everywhere and he was a mess. Sooner or later, Dream would also try to find him so he had to be fast if he wanted to get away from them, from everyone.

Tommy made plans that night, sitting next to a small campfire in a carved out hole, the compass a heavy weight on his chest.

Tubbo had a compass like his own, he could find him with that. But there was a place where it wouldn't work, where no one could get him, the scorching sands and burning stone, withering and gold hungry mobs wandering around in an eternal circle.

The nether.

  
  
  
  


The second best thing about the nether? He could find valuable metals everywhere. 

The best thing was the worst thing though.

Fast traveling was easy in the nether. You could walk a short distance in it and still have walked a long in the overworld. But that wasn't only applicable to him but also everyone else that traversed it.

So he had to play it just right, get as far away from any big structure that could be easily found in the nether. No fortresses, no large biomes with open fields,nothing that could expose him. The deeper redwood biomes where piglins and hoglins roamed were also out of question. Tommy might be suicidal, but not that suicidal.

So he settled down right in the grey area between a green forest biome and a mountain of basalt, building himself a home into the side of the mountain of basalt. Soon, the small cave evolved into more of a house, the insides covered in green wooden planks, chairs and a table at the side of one of the rooms, where he would sit and eat, another room had piles upon piles of sheep wool in it. It wasnt a bed, he wasnt dumb enough to explode himself in the nether, so he had his spawnpoint in the overworld, a bed sitting surrounded by lavapools, safely tucked away with emergency stuff if he were to ever die and had the need to respawn. Yet, he hadn't needed that, fortunately.

The pile of wool was taken from sheeps he had sheared in the overworld, a mix of several colours mixing with the dust of netherrack where he had dragged it on the ground, trying to get it home and be back safe where he couldn't be found. 

He hated being on the overworld but it was a necessity, his human body needed water and food, both of which he got outside the portal, tens of thousands of blocks away from spawn, hopefully for no one to ever find. 

The overworld was not safe, not like the nether was. 

That's what Tommy loved about the nether, he wished to live here and he wished to die here. He didn't miss his family and friends, didn't miss the hugs and the warmth and the comfort they had provided, not while the compass hung heavy around his neck, not while he clutched the bit of blue he took from Ghostbur, not Wilburs coat around his shoulder, or the shirt he got from Phil, now torn to shreds by the exile and the overuse, yet a piece of fabric was tied around his arm, next to the bandana he had kept. The only thing he had left from Techno was the small gem he had gifted him, way back then in a soft moment at home. The first emerald he had found, the most wonderful green Tommy had ever seen.

He cried that night.

  
  
  
  
  


All things considered, Tommy didn't think he would end up in a situation like this. 

With his whole family being hybrids, him being the only human, of course he had always stood out like a sore thumb to Techno’s piglin nature, Phil’s wings and Wilburs gills. But waking up with a headache that felt like it would rip him apart, only to find out his ears had changed overnight? That something he didn't plan for.

Sneaking out into the overworld and hurrying over to the small river he had claimed, Tommy looked at his reflection, pupils slitting and then widening out, becoming as large as plates the moments he saw the two fuzzy ears, soon to be joined by an equally fuzzy tail and face markings. Many strange things had happened to him in his life, but becoming a hybrid? 

“Who would've thought that useless small human child Tommyinnit was actually a hybrid as well.”

He looked at his reflection again, eyes tracing over the scars in his face, the spots in his hair of various shades of grey, and back to his ears.

But then, everything else made sense too.

The canines that had slowly grown in his mouth, the ones he ripped Dreams throat apart with. The inhuman strength he couldn't just put on adrenaline and the claws on his hands as he ripped apart the mobs that night.

Finally something in his life made sense and with a newly flamed determination, he returned home, his own home in the nether, never the wiser that his small outing had been noticed so far away, as broken eyes stared at a moving compass needle, before it stopped, standing still in one direction.

  
  
  
  


It had been days after he had noticed these new pats of himself. Soon after the obvious physical traits appeared, more traits started to show themselves.

He noticed his eyesight getting better than ever, his sense of smell and taste evolving uníquely, being able to smell even the smallest traces of something else around him, be it a block in a place it shouldn't be, or the smell of someone that shouldn't be where they were.

Which was led to exactly the current situation he found himself in.

Tommy had returned home to a basalt block in the middle of his living room, just standing there to mock him. He would've brushed it off as a random enderman somehow getting inside , had it not been for the smell that was wafting off of something in the corner, right under his table. With cautious steps he went over to it, crouching down to examine whatever was under it. This was the second weirdest thing that had happened to him, the weirdest will always be walking in on Quackity changing.

He’ll never get that sight burned into his retinas away, never.

A small figure was in the corner under his table, trying to hide and make itself as small as possible. Its whole body was split in two, colorwise at least. But what was most prominent was that it seemed to be a humanoid end hybrid, apparent from the noises of enderman it spoke, although he could understand just the lightest tone of ghast as well. Probably where its white side came from.

As he looked further into the small hiding spot, he noticed wounds all over its litle body, most likely inflicted by claws or a sword. Poor thing had probably gone into the red forest and maybe even gotten lost and attacked by hoglins and piglins.

The blonde new better than to blindly grab into the hiding place, instead sitting down on the opposite wall of the child, looking at its face but not directly its eyes as to not make it upset.

They both sat like that for a while, both getting less tense and until long, the kid slipped out of its hiding place, approaching the stranger with obvious curiosity. Tommy let himself get poked and looked at, moving his hand up when the kid wanted him to. With shock apparent in its eyes, it laid its own hand against his, seeing how they looked almost the same before looking up at him, wide mismatched eyes glancing into his own but without aggression, only pure surprise evident in it.

That day he took care of the kid, wrapped his,  **_He_ ** _ is called Ranboo, Tommy,  _ wound up and made food for the both of them before the small hybrid fell asleep on his lap, being carried off to the blondes bedroom and gently put down on the sheep's wool.

He just adopted a kid, hadn't he?

Tommy just laughed at how similar he was to his own father, heart aching while he thought about him.

  
  
  
  
  


The next two years went by in a flash.

Ranboo had quickly sprouted and shot in the air like a bamboo stalk, becoming almost as big as Tommy himself. That's also how he found out that endermen don't need many years to learn things and come of age. So with only two years of knowing the kid (he could've been only months old when Tommy found him. He shuddered at that thought), Ranboo already had the mind of a six year old, learning everything that came under his nose. From reading to writing and even fighting, everything Tommy showed him, he learned.

It was for the better, especially in a place as dangerous as the nether. Ranboo could not be always protected by Tommy, even though he wanted it to be, and so the adult (he was barely eighteen) taught him how to fight with different things, ranging from bows to swords and even rocks or how to make weapons out of the most mundane things.

Soon enough, yet another two years had passed, Tommy’s memories of blood and carnage and manipulation being pushed back by thoughts of his kid growing up, learning how to talk properly, how to hunt and farm and everything in between, wandering between nether and overworld, but never straying too far away from the portal, only a quick jump away from disappearing off the radars.

But nothing good could last forever.

One day while they were out Tommy was hit by a wither skeleton, being infected by a bad withering rash that spread along his arm, making the skin crumble underneath. If it had been an instant death then maybe he would have recovered properly, respawning at his usual point yet somehow it just made him collapse, Ranboo slaying the skeleton before it could make more damage, running to his dad.

He fell to his side with tears in his eyes, seeing the withering spread up to the man's face until it finally stopped, having taken his whole arm, making it essentially useless as he couldn't feel it properly. Respawning now would essentially make him collapse and die over and over again from how bad the withering was on him. His quick thinking of drinking some milk might have saved him now but he still had a kid to take care of.

Tommy needed to make a decision which he really didn't like, but it had to be made.

He needed to go to the overworld.

“Ran, kid do you think you could help me back to the house?”

The hybrid nodded and helped him up, worry burning in his eyes as he half carried his dad back home. The blonde’s ears flicked, looking out for anything that could attack them while he was in such a weak state, practically falling through the door as the other closed the door, helping him up and to their table, sitting him down on a chair. Tommy gently laid his arm out on the table, noticing the grey veins under the black skin, sighing. His arm was as good as useless now, there may be some way to reverse it but he didnt know shit about potions.

But he knew someone who actually does.

Fuck.

He either went back to  _ them _ and maybe asked for advice or he would get an untimely death and leave Ranboo behind. Looking over to the small child while he sighed, holding his good arm out which was immediately embracing a body to his own, feeling tears soak into his shirt.

Well, if he wanted his kid to survive, he had to go back and actually ask for help.

Tommy groaned as he held a crying child to his chest, trying to soothe him.

  
  


They packed up the next day, Ranboo helping Tommy with moving his arm in a sling, a cape hiding the obvious injury from anyone else. They couldn't do anything about his face but comb his hair so it would cover most of it.

When they were all packed up the both of them looked back to their home of the past years, parting with it with a heavy heart.

Timing it just so they would start their journey at dawn, both of them exited the portal and went over to their small farm, freeing all the animals he had there so they wouldn't starve while the two weren't there, and mounted two horses. This time, Tommy was happy that Ranboo had such an interest in riding, doing it while Tommy stayed behind in the nether, knowing that would be the safest. 

The kid put on a brave expression but he knew that Ranboo was afraid and scared. Ruffling his hair and smiling down at him before they started riding did the job though, giving him newfound determination and making him smile back.

Mellohi and Cat were at an alltime high in his head although coincidentally, Ranboo hummed the tunes mix that Tommy always sung when the kid had been upset and couldn't sleep. It was their melody, something familiar but new.

Tommy looked down at his compass, a frown on his face.

Would they all even want to see him? He had every right to get out of that situation, especially after what had happened but… He still missed them all, as much as they had hurt him. 

When tears went down his face, Ranboo didn't say anything, just rode on with him, galloping to their destination.

  
  


On the other side of the land, a compass needle once again started moving, yet this time it didn't stop after only a couple of seconds. No this time, it turned and stood still at one point, eagerly showing its own destination.

Tubbo couldn't believe his own two eyes as he stared at the bracelet he had put the compass in. 

Tommy? It couldn't be, surely not. It hasn't moved in so long, why would it do so now? Why would the compass suddenly work, he had spent so much time searching for his best friend and suddenly signs of him show up again?

Tubbo brought himself out of his stupor, slapping his face with both hands.

“Ok, Ok Tubbo focus!”

Clutching the bracelet he ran outside his house, leaving the tea and book he had in his hands abandoned behind. The next house inside was that of a familiar person, one that had helped him many times, with the searches especially.

“PHIL!”

He shouted, running against the door before opening it, fully out of breath and many of the other inhabitants looking confused and alarmed after him. Why would he scream so much?

Then he stormed out of the house, the winged man right behind him, a serious expression on his face as he called a meeting of everyone, letting them gather on the main plaza, standing on their wooden tribune while he announced something that sent them all into shock.

“Wait, are you sure it's not just a malfunction?”   
Someone from the crowd asked loudly, making Tubbo jump down the tribune from where he stood next to Phil, showing him the clearly not broken compass, enchantment shining bright as always and the needle only swaying slightly to the side.

The person that asked was just dumbfounded, just were the people around them. They were excited but also afraid.

“If Tommy is alive and the needle is pointing north again… Is he coming towards us or going exactly the opposite direction, I mean what... “

Niki asked out loud, eyes lost in thoughts.

No one wanted to answer but they were determined to find out.

Tubbo and a couple of others decided to take on that lead, riding away on their own horses that day, right into the direction of their former friend.

  
  
  
  


Tommy, meanwhile, was only exhausted. They needed to reach the borders pretty soon or they would be screwed in the night. He could only protect them to a degree, if he fell then it would only take a little time before anyone got to Ranboo.

He didn't like that thought.

Looking over to his charge, he noticed him still on high alert, even though he must have been really exhausted. Only shaking his head and trying to look serious when Tommy asked the silent question, the man decided that they would go on. If it weren't so urgent he would have already taken a break but they couldn't allow themselves one for the time being.

Ranboo led them both, now being in the possession of the compass as Tommy noticed his senses dwindling a little bit, exhaustion becoming more evident with each passing minute before he completely passed out on the back of the horse.

The kid just smiled and took the other horse's reins, binding them to his own saddle so he wouldn't lose his dad on the way.

His father would call him mature and grown up, like when he slayed a piglin that wanted to ambush them, ruffling his hair while he said he was proud. Now, Ranboo was just scared, scared for his dad and for himself. 

They continued on, riding along the forest pathways, only being illuminated by the moon.

  
  


The same moon shined down on Technoblade as he rode his own horse, closely followed by Tubbo and Phil on their own horses while Quackity and Wilbur were more in the back but still close by. He couldn't believe that Tommy would show up on the face of the world after all that time, but he kept asking himself. 

Why now? Why was he showing up now, after so many years. 

Why now?

  
  
  


Ranboo was thankful when they reached the border. Being awake for a whole day with his father passed out on the other horse had been exhausting.

When they passed the border and came into a small village, the kid had been afraid at first. But thankfully, the villagers were really nice and helped him out, giving him and Tommy a place to rest for the night while their horses could rest in the residential stables.

When asked why they were so nice, they answered that years ago, a kind man that looked exactly like his father had saved their village from a mob attack.

Ranboo wondered what his dad had done before he found the small hybrid, lying against his fathers chest as they slept in the same bed, the kid too afraid of losing him now.

  
  
  
  


Tubbo never slept the days they rode, feeling like his destination was only coming closer as they were halfway to the borders, riding through the deeper spruce forest. He had only rested a little as they all let their horses rest, eating food to stock up on energy meanwhile. They didn't want to lose time while they all searched for the blonde, no one wanted to miss this opportunity, no one wanted to take any chances of him slipping through their fingers again. They had so much to apologize for, he had so many regrets, so many things he wanted to tell him.

You only notice you love someone when they're gone. Techno, Phil, everyone noticed that the moment no one found Tommy after Dream's mangled corpse was unearthed, apparently his last life that had been taken, all of his items stolen and Logstedshire in complete scrambles. Tommys communicator had been in shambles as well, Tubbo would never believe that Tommy did all that himself, he couldn't have blown up his home, even temporarily, not like that.

So they rode on and they hoped.

  
  
  


Ranboo smiled at the villagers, waving his arms as he rode off the next morning with his father by his side, this time not passed out but looking worse for wear. He was getting weaker, the withering making his body ache and giving him constant pain in the spots where he was infected. Well-wishes and prayers were sent their way as they left, Ranboo’s worry rising with every moment.

The second evening they had spent in their journey, everything went wrong.

While at their weakest, with Tommy once again too much in pain and on the verge of passing out, the both of them had been ambushed by mobs, a skeleton shooting one of their horses before he could kill them all.

That meant that they had needed to leave some of the stuff behind.

Thankfully it hadn't been Tommy's horse so he could leave him on there as he switched stuff around on the packs, heaving one on his back as he still followed the compass, hoping that they would finally arrive soon.

They needed to arrive soon, he just wanted his dad to be safe, to not hurt, to smile at him again and…

To not die.

“Please hold on… Please.”

  
  


The day and the night blended together once again and Tubbo spotted the next biome, a normal oak wood forest, whose borders were soon gone as they entered it. The compass was always in his eyesight but it flickered, which was really weird for him. Tubbo was getting worried, worried about what state Tommy must be in that his compass flickered that much.

Suddenly, one of them shouted out in alarm, all the horses stopping before they ran into another horse and a kid. They were suddenly all on edge, Phil jumping off of his horse to walk over and greet them, the child pulling out- was that a netherite sword?

“Holy shit, wait kid hold on, we don't want to do any harm.”

The small hybrid eyed them suspiciously as Phil went back to his horse, preparing to ride after Tubbo and the others once again. When Tubbo passed them, a sudden move of the compass caught his eye.

“Wait, hold on everyone.”

This time, Tubbo himself jumped off on the middle of the path, walking towards the even more frightened kid, holding his compass which pointed to his direction, both of them looking wide eyed as the kid spotted his compass, pulling a similar one out which pointed in Tubbo’s direction.

Only now did Tubbo spot the man on the back of the horse the kid was leading, dirty blonde hair sticking out in every place and a very familiar shirt peeking out under the netherite armour he was wearing.

“Are you Tubbo?”

He would've been surprised by the sudden question were it not for this situation, walking over to the horse to take a look at his former best friend, roughed up and looking completely ill.

Techno and the others went right after him, though Ranboo stoically put himself between them and his dad.

“Don't come near! I asked you a question!”

He pouted, holding out the way too familiar netherite blade which all of them hadn't noticed before, especially not the engravings.

_ Nightmare _

Tubbo nodded at the kid, holding out his compass as Ranboo did the same, both of them pointing directly to the person they were assigned and enchanted to.

A gasp from next to them brought them out of their small conversation, Phil looking over his son's face.

“I- Is that withering- why- how long, kid. Please, you gotta tell me how long it had been.”   
  


The winged man went over to Ranboo while Techno heaved the smaller blonde off of the horse, leaning him against a tree to examine it more.

“It's been at least three days, if not almost four. Please, tell me if he can survive, I can't lose him now, please-”   
  


He pleaded, tears rolling down his cheeks slowly as he went over to Techno as well, holding the healthy hand of his father tight, pressing it to his face.

“We’ll do everything we can.”   
  


  
  
  
  
  


Tommy awoke to a dull pain and what felt like cotton stuffing his head, trying to move his arm up to rub at it.

What he did not expect was to not feel anything on his right side, eyes still pressed close tightly as his left arm went over to examine it, only to find nothing. At that thought, he panicked and shot up, hsi whole body protesting as pain shot through it, making him cry out lightly. When he finally brought himself to open his eyes slowly, he looked down and found… nothing. His whole right arm was gone, there were only bandages everywhere, concealing the probably blackened skin. Why would it be blackened? Tommy thought hard, the palm of his left hand rubbing at his temple, trying to remember, Then, it came up like a bolt of energy, his brain filling with all the memories and feelings he had experienced the past days? Weeks? He didn't know anymore.

The only thing he knew was that Ranboo had been alone, he hadn't been there, he was too weak.

Tommy pulled the blanket up, already on his way to getting out of the bed when he felt the lump on his side, looking down with a surprise but gentle expression at the child, sleeping cuddled into him. Exhaling a sigh of relief, his left hand wandered to go through the kids mismatched hair, rustling him slowly out of his sleep, a soft whine making him chuckle.

Though when the kid finally noticed that he was awake, Ranboo fell into his fathers arm, tearing up as he cried out all the stress he had felt these past days.

The door opened behind them and forth came Tubbo, a soft expression on his face.

Tommys ears flattened at his head, eyes staring right into Tommy’s own.

“Hey.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy punches people, literally and figuratively

Tommy pulled Ranboo closer to himself, growling at his once best friend.

Tubbo took a step back, sitting down on the ground a few feet away from the raccoon.

“Hey, I don't want to hurt you, Tommy. Just... “

Their eyes never left each other, the hybrids pupils becoming slits which only made him look more menacing if it wasn't for the small child that he was holding in his arms.

“Why, Tommy?”

He laughed, Tommy didn't think he had it in him but he laughed.

“Why? What do you mean, why? Why I left my abuser? Why I left this godforsaken place so I could actually live! WHY, TUBBO?”

Tommy only realized that he was starting to get loud when Ranboo shuffled in his arms, immediately getting his attention as he softly hummed to get him back to sleep.

Tubbo was conflicted, emotions running wild within him.

“What…? I- Tommy all this time we… We searched for you after we found Dream’s corpse- We thought you were dead!”

Tommy sneered, leaning back into the bed while gently petting Ranboo’s head.

“I never wanted to be found. The only thing this city brought me was pain. L’Manberg should have stayed in shambles.”

Tears slipped down the raccoons face involuntarily, remembering the pain and death and everything in between that this place had done to him.

“I lost everything to this, Tubbo. And you expect me to come back to it? Stay here?”   
He laughed, sobs wrecking his body slowly, and hissed afterwards, the pain from the withering starting to act up, black spots dancing around his face.

Tubbo seemed to have noticed and grabbed into his pocket, getting a potion out of it before giving it to Tommy, ignoring the conflict in favor of helping him for now.

“Here, Phil made these. Apparently he knows what you have but didn't tell anyone, not even I have any idea what it is but… Just-”

He turned around after pushing the potion into his hands.

“I never stopped regretting my decision.”

And with that he left Tommy to his own devices, the blonde being left to ponder in his room while he chugged the potion.

  
  
  


Ranboo woke up when his dad was dead asleep, the light from outside shining through the window of the room they were staying in. It seemed as if they had been resting the entire night and honestly, Ranboo didn't complain.

He carefully extracted himself from his fathers side and slipped off of the bed, walking out of the room with light steps. He got a small knife coated with netherite on him, just for protection. His dad would be safe in the room and he would be back before the other noticed.

The kid's empty stomach protested in that moment while he looked around the corridor, small feet tapping on the ground while he sneaked to the next door, looking inside but finding nothing of interest.

He groaned, feeling like he hadn't eaten in days before the door at the end of the corridor opened, a tall man with a crown on his head catching him by surprise.

Ranboo felt like a deer in the headlights.

"Oh, it's you. You hungry kid?"

The tall piglin figure was eyes up and down, not a single word was said, before Ranboo deemed him approachable and nodded, walking over while holding the small blade in his hand, flicking it around nervously.

Techno just watched him do small tricks with the blade in his hand and ignored it for now, leading him through the back door, both of them standing outside while the sun just rose into the sky, painting everything in warm colors.

The enderman hybrid's eyes went wide and he grinned at all the serenity that was spread around the whole town.

"This is nothing like dad described to me…"

Techno frowned at that, the memories of explosions and craters in his mind. 

He shook them off for now.

"Well, he probably told you it's destroyed, well kind of. But, we rebuilt it over the years."

He started walking, feeling the kid on his side, listening to him talk with curiosity as his speech went on to several other things, from farms to potatoes and other things.

Then, they finally arrived at their destination.

"Hey Techno! It's nice to see you! Oh, and you brought a little friend along with you."

Soft eyes found their eyes on the pair, a nice lady walking out from behind the counter of the bakery they found themselves in.

Ranboo hid behind the other hybrid, only his eyes and horns visible to Niki who just smiled down at him before getting closer, hands visible where he could see them.

She had experience.

"You are Tommy's kid, right?"

He nodded, only getting from behind Techno when he deemed it borderline safe.

"Dad said you are a kind person, you'll all help him, right?"

Ranboo wanted to trust them, especially after they helped his father and probably dragged him back from death's doorstep. But he couldn't shake off his primal fear of new people, strangers.

"Yes, we are. You don't gotta worry, young one. So, let's get some food in you and you can also take some for Tommy, what do you think."

Ranboo's face lightened up at the idea, a soft chirp escaping him while a grin spread over his face.

The other two couldn't help but smile as well, feeling at ease with the kid around.

  
  
  


Tommy was furious.

Waking up without Ranboo, he thought they had taken him, kidnapped him to somewhere. He should've never come here, that's what he kept telling himself as his body dragged itself out of the room, finally getting into the corridor, on his way to exit the building, even if he was one arm lighter and probably short of passing out again.

In that moment, the door decided to move and a small head poked through, laughing alongside Technoblade as he scurried back to his dad's room only to bump into him.

Anything Tommy could've said was instantly gone when Ranboo looked at him with disappointment, shoving him back into their room.

"Dad, you're not supposed to be out of bed. What if you collapse somewhere or anything bad happens!"

The blonde only let himself be led back to his bed, any other dissipating the moment he saw his kid save and sound. He pulled him into a hug, arm wrapping around the kid as he sputtered, saying something about bread.

"-ad, are you even listening? You're squeezing the baked goods!"

Ranboo's voice was getting clear again and Tommy found himself leaned against the headboard of his bed, the kid pressed against his chest.

"Please don't scare me like that ever again."

Quieting at the words, his son only took out some of the sweet stuff and offered it to his dad in an apology. Tommy couldn't help but take it.

Meanwhile, Technoblade watched from the far end of the room, not in the mood to destroy such a sweet moment between the two of them.

His own heart ached at the sight of his severely injured brother.

  
  


A couple of days passed with Ranboo getting to talk with everyone while Tommy didn't say a single thing again after his talk with Tubbo. They were all getting worried but didn't want to push. Nether knows how much that could strain their relationship with him even more. So, Ranboo was the main communication device between them.

Tommy needed to adjust to his arm being gone, trying to ignore the looks of what he thought was pity he was getting from everyone around him. He hated needing help, the man just wanted to take his child and go away, leaving all his problems behind once more. But, this place seemed to be safe for now. If they wanted to harm him or his kid they would have ages ago and not helped him in the first place. It still didn't help his anxiety.

Day’s passed and Tubbo had the idea to introduce Wilbur back to Tommy, hoping it would evoke any kind of emotion or determination to sort his issues out with them in him. Ranboo demanded to meet the man properly before, wanting to get to know his uncle better just like he did with Technoblade.

So when a seemingly alive Wilbur stepped through his door, looking at him with his eyes, pooling over with regrets unspoken, he shouldn't have been surprised.

He shouldn't have been surprised… Or relieved.

The man was planted at the edge of the door, not knowing if he could step in or not without upsetting the younger one, especially after everything that happened. So when Tommy opened his arms, well arm, and Wilbur took it as an invitation for a hug, embracing the blonde with all his might.

“I should never have done this I- These wars, this- this stupid city- Nether, Tommy I- I am so sorry.”

Both of them cried into each other’s arms, Tommy’s emotions finally welling up, all the stress he had felt these last days, months, years. They all just burst out of him Behind the door, Ranboo, Tubbo and Techno stood, listening but not interrupting the reunion.

It had gotten better after that, Tommy talking to people besides Ranboo more and more, going out of the room with a cape, courtesy of Technoblade, and just watching the city around him, bustling with life and not death, seeing the peace around him, not the destruction and war he was used to seeing.

It was oddly serene, no threat of anything in this town, no fire or mob, like in the nether.

And other people than his son to keep him company.

His ears flicked slightly as he went down a familiar path, the memory of something overtaking him and leading him straight back to the bench which was still there, surprisingly. On a further glance, he could still see engravings in it, some of them from himself, some from Tubbo. Sitting down on it, he decided that this was going to be where he would sit the rest of the evening. Though something clicked and suddenly, Mellohi played right next to him just as a weight descended down onto the bench.

“Hey, Tubbo…”   
  


He didn't look at him, trying to think of what to say after their last confrontation. It was hard for both of them, the stress of their lives and of them thinking the other abandoned them or was dead. After some time, the raccoon hybrid decided to speak up, pulling the cape farther against himself.

“Did you mean it? That you… never regretted anything more?”   
  


Tubbo just hummed in agreement and something clanked down on the bench next to him, catching his attention.

It was the compass, the other half to his own, a little bit tattered but still functional, looking as if it had been cleaned recently.

“I never stopped looking. ‘knew you were out there somewhere, you wouldn't just disappear on me. Well, that's what I had thought but- You- When I saw you on that horse, almost dead, I was so… Scared. I didn't want to lose you just as I got you back again and I was- I was so angry at you for leaving and so angry at myself for letting it come to this and-”

The ram hybrid found himself in a tight, one-armed embrace as he looked over to see his friend's reaction, only now noticing that both of them were crying openly.

His sobbing was drowned out by the other’s heart wrenching one’s, apologizing for leaving him as well. They stayed like that for the rest of the evening, falling asleep on the bench, hugging each other tightly.

  
  
  


His confrontation with Phil had not gone so quietly.

The first moment he even heard him, Tommy wanted to punch his father. Which he had done, making the man drop whatever he had in his hand, which shattered on the ground on impact. The noise made Tommy cringe a second time, a small noise escaping his throat.

On a second glance, he had slightly regretted the decision to punch his father, awaiting a punch back, or a scream. But…

“I guess I deserved that… Though, the poor potion didn't. You mind handing me the broom next to you?”

He did as he was asked and Phil started getting the glass off of the ground, putting them away in a trash can next to him.

They were alone, Tommy was supposed to get a new potion to help with his condition but said that he wanted to pick it up himself, going to his father’s house for some answers.

“Why didn't you hit me back? Are you afraid of going off against a disabled man? Am I glass to you, like to everyone else?”

He wanted to say more but Phil just shook his head and closed the door behind the two of them, walking over to the couch in his living room, gesturing to the seat next to him.

Tommy took it.

Phil sighed.

“I don't know how to start this but… I've been a shit dad, I know I've been one. I shouldn't have ever let you all go on this god forsaken server. Fuck, I killed Wilbur, I killed everything that was connected to him, you were in shambles and I… I sided with your clearly emotionally better doing brother, leaving you to pick up your own pieces.”

When Tommy wanted to chime in, he was shushed.

“I was a shit dad, nether, I am still one. I don't want you to forgive me but… I want to make it right to you again, if you would let me.”

He suppressed his tears, not looking at his son as he braced for the screams. Instead, a hand was put on his shoulder and he was met with a small smile, tears rolling down the face of his youngest as he nodded.

They spent some time sitting next to each other on that couch, talking about random things until a specific topic was brought up.

“I heard that you knew exactly what I have… Though, I didn't think you could actually treat it or even know what it was… So how..?”

Philza stood up, spreading his wings wide and heard a gasp from his son, who promptly had his remaining arm on the wings feather roots, tracing the charred black skin where whole chunks of wing were just missing.

"It happened to me as well, some time ago. If it weren't for Techno I would've been dead. Although, the loss of my wings in the first place came from protecting Wil from the explosion at L'Manberg, so it wasn't as bad. I'm sorry that we couldn't save your arm, by the way."

His old man rattled on but was pulled down again by the hybrid, a face burying itself in his chest.

Phil just put his wings around the boy, encasing his body with them like a blanket.

They would be ok.


End file.
